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J. J. REILLY. MEANS FOR PREVENTING THE QREEPING OF RAILS AND RAIL JOINTS. No. 378,721. Patented Feb. 28, 1888.

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J. J. REILLY.

MEANS FOR PREVENTING THE CREEPING 'QP RAILS AND RAIL JOINTS.

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JAMES J. REILLY, OF SPOKANE FALLS, WASHINGTON TERRITORY, ASSIGN OR OF ONE-FOURTH TO C. WV. TOZER, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA.

MEANS FOR PREVENTING THE CREEPING OF RAILS AND RAILJOINTS.

m SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 378,721, dated February 28, 1888,

Application filed May 21, 1887. Serial No. 239,007. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JAMES J". REILLY, of Spokane Falls, in the county of Spokane, Vfashington Territory, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Means for Preventing the Creeping of Rails and Rail- Joints; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, which will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, which form part of this specification.

This invention has relation to the construction of railroads, the method of laying the tracks, and means of securing them thereto, and in the method of retaining them in their original position.

Hcretofore it has been very difficult to secure and retain in position the railroadrails for several reasons, among which are the 6X pansion and contraction which occur from the variation of temperature, which variation is constantly going on between night and day and the change of seasons; but the most radical displacement of the rails is caused by what is known by the term creeping ofthe rails, and which has never been successfully prevented. This creeping ismostly caused by the force and velocity of the trains passing over the rails, which rails are so securely and so rigidly attached to each other that they practically become a continuous solid rail, nearly as much so as if made out of a single piece, so that the constant running in one direction and the constant knocking accumumulate a force that forces the rails out of their original position,and which causes them to become loosened, twisted, and finally wrenched apart with disastrous results.

It is well known that rail-joints of various descriptions have been used to prevent sudden shock and jarring of the cars and to preycnt lamination of the ends of the rails. It is also well known that means have been employed to compensate for expansion and contraction, to none of which do I lay any claim. Railroadmen generally are aware that it has been the practice to rigidly secure the rails to position.

the track and to each other by all sorts of means-snch as fish-plates, angle-irons, and the like-= none of which accomplish the object I have in view, which is to secure the rails to the cross-ties so as to avoid the difficulties and dangers before alluded to.

' To this end my invention consists .in laying the rails in such a manner that they shall be free to have a limited longitudinal movement, each rail being so adjusted in relation to the trains passing over it that while the front wheels of the truck force the rail perceptibly forward the back or hind wheels will replace it to its original position, as will be hereinafter more fully described.

In the drawings, Figure 1 shows a top plan view of a portion of a railroad-truck with two cross-ties and my improved rail-fastening securing the rails. Fig. 2 is a cross-section of the same,taken on the linear 00 of Fig. 1,which shows the rail in a clamped position, the rail fitting snugly but not rigidly within the clamp, which permits the said rail to slide within the clamp in either direction. Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section taken on the line y y of Fig. 4-that is to say, down through the longitudinal vertical center of said figure. Fig. 4. is a perspcctive view of my improved railroad-chair and device for securing the ends of two rails without bolting them together, and also causing the recoil of the rail back to its original Fig. 5 is a vertical cross-section on line 0 0 of Fig. 4: showing the manner of inserting the end of one rail from the side; and Fig. 6 is a cross-section showing how the rail is secured at its opposite end by pushing into thejaws of the clamp. Figs. 5 and 6 will also show the abutting piece or tongue against which the rails abutin theirlongitudinal movement. Fig. 7 also represents the track provided with. my improved chair and a car in position to show the wheels of one truck about leaving one rail before the next truck comes on.

The same letters will indicate like parts in all the figures.

A is the rail; B, the clamp, which is pro vided with bearing-piece a beneath the rail, extending on each side of the projections b I) and being suitably secured to the cross-tie C. This clamp Bis also provided with upward projections b b from each of its ends, which face toward each other, leaving an opening between and below them for the reception of the rail. This opening is made to be the exact contour of the base of the rail and to fit it snugly but not tightly, so that the rail may slide through it without bending, and at the same time sufficiently tight to prevent the rail from yielding laterally from its position. These clamps B may be made of any suitable material, preferably cast-steel. Their inner surfaces may be chilled or hardened to prevent wear. I

The form of the clamp may be varied to suit rails of different contour or to suit the ideas of different persons without departing from the object in view.

Referring to Fig. 3, AAare longitudinal vertical sections of the ends of two rails fitting over a like view of the chair D. Particular attention is directed to this feature of my invention, as it substantially embodies the gist thereof and the principle of carrying the same into effect, and which may be explained as follows: It will be observed that the tongue or abutting piece d is tapering from crown to bottom, and the ends of the rails at e e have a corresponding taper or angle, only in opposite directions from the abutting piece, so that when the end of the rail abuts against the in cline or taper of the piece (1 the weight of the car-wheel passing over it will force the downward-inclined end of the rail against the upward incline of the abutting-piece, thus forcing it back to its original position, the operation being substantially the same as two wedges on inclined planes being pushed 011 each other; but before the above action takes place I will describe why the end of the rail abuts against the tongue-piece d.

Cars, from constantly running in one direction, by their velocity and the force of their wheels striking the ends of the rails in the same direction drive them more or less forward. Close observation has demonstrated this to be a fixed fact, and this constant knocking of the rails forward causes what is generally known as creeping of the track. The rails,being rigid. cannotyield, and hence never replace themselves, but are pushed forward until some one of them gives way. It will also be observed that when the weight of trains passes over the rails they bend or yield, and by that means, also, they are forced forward without any provision for forcing them back, nor can they be forced back as long as they are all rigidly secured to each other and to the road-bed. Now, with my invention I propose to avoid these difficulties. The dotted lines will show the position of the end of one of the rails when the car-truck is on the other, the rail being pushed forward against the abutment and away from the receding end, as may be seen at e c, Fig. 3. 6 shows the rail forced up, while 0 shows it pushed away. These ends are shown for the purpose of illustration; but in practice when the truck reaches the end 0 when the truck reaches its opposite end,which would be 6. Now, to do this effectually, I form a fulcrum at or near each end of the chair, as may be seen atf, Fig. 3, so that it will be plain to be seen when the truck rides over the end of the rail and over the abutment, in addition to the incline, it forces the rail back to its original position. It will be observed that the ends of these rails are formed to. correspond with the construction of the chair, which change of form may be made in any well-known manner, or by special machinery which will form the subject-matter of a separate application. To hold the rails in position the clamps B hold the rails to the cross-ties between the ends, and at the ends of the rails the chairs hold them. The clamps have already been described, and I will now describe the chairs,which are preferably cast in a single piece or made in any other wellknown manner. It has, first, a flat bed-plate. Centrally it has an upward projection or tongue, d, which is tapering or wedge-shaped. From the bed-plate, for near its length and to one side from the center, I provide an upwardly-projecting brace and clamp, 9, made to conform to one side'of the neck and base flange of the rail,which at the same time braces it from yielding laterally and binding it to the tie. At the other side of the bed-plate a similar projection, h, is made only, extending back from the central abutting piece. This end I is intended to have the cut end of the rail pushed into it, while the other end, J, of the chair is designed to have the uncut end of the rail slipped in sidewise. The side and end of the chair without the upward-projecting flanges g and h is provided with a rail-seat equal to the thickness of the base of the rail, the metal of the chair extending above it and provided with spike holes, by which spikes may be driven, and thus the end of the rail is secured. The chair at its base-plate is also provided with spike-holes for securing it to the crossties. Independent of the formation of the rails according to my invention these means may be employed for the present form of rails with good results. However, the prime object of my invention is embodied in the principle of preventing the creeping of the rails.

Modifications may be made without departing from the spirit of my invention.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is-- 1. A chair for railroad-rails,having upwardlyprojccting clamping-pieces and a downwardly and backwardly inclined bearing-face at each end, substantially as specified.

2. The combination, in a rail-joint, of the chair provided with an abutment, as at d, tapering as shown, with a rail having a corresponding incline at its end, for the purpose set forth.

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3. In a rail-joint, the combination, with a railroad-rail provided at one of its ends with an angular cut-out, and its other end made angular for a portion of its height in crosssection, of a chair having a central abutting piece having corresponding angles, as set forth.

4. A railroadchair having a guide-seat for the rail, an abutting central tongue, tapering as described, two upwardly holding and binding braces, and means for securing the chair to the cross-ties, as. shown.

5. A railroad-chair having a guide-seat for the rails, upwardly holding and binding braces united by a central tonguepiece, a groove for the insertion of the rail at one end, and an opening in the other end for the sideinsertlon of the rail, as set forth.

64A chair for rail-joints having a guideseat for the rails, an abutting central tongue, tapering as described, upwardly-projecting binding-braces, and fulcra on its ends, substantially as described.

7 A rail provided with a cut-out at one of its ends, a portion of the web and base having an angular face, the cut-out being adapted to receive and conform to the shape of an abutting piece in a chair, and the other end of the rail having a downwardly inclined face for a portion of its heighnsubstantially as described.

8. The herein-described method of correcting the creeping of railway-tracks, which con sists in laying the rails so as to have alimited free longitudinal movement and causing the rails individually to be pushed slightly back by the wheels in passing off them, substantially as set fortln In testimony that Iclaiin the foregoing as my own I aifix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JAMES J. REILLY.

Witnesses:

O. E. DUFFY, CHAS. M. WERLE. 

